Railway-train indicator



(No Model.)

B. E. WATERS.

RAILWAY TRAIN INDICATOR. No. 391,568. Patented Oct 23,- 1888.

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BENJAMIN E. WVATERS, OF BROGKTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MOSES E.HATCH, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY-TRAIN INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,568, dated October23, 1888.

Application filed April 9, 1888. Serial No. 270,067.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN E. WATERS, of Brockton, county of Plymouth,and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inRailway-Train Indicators, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts. My invention relates toa train-indicator for use at railway-stations,.being especially usefulat way-stations to indicate the destination of the train that is aboutto start and the names of the stations on the route at which it stops.The invention is embodied in an apparatus I 5 comprising a case orframe-work containing a number of movable signs each bearing the properdescription for a given train,combined with an electro-nuagnet and itsarmature for each sign by which the said signs are normally retainedconcealed and so arranged that the proper attendant by closing thecircuit of a given magnet may cause a corresponding sign to be displayedand preferably an audible alarm sounded, so as to call attention to 2 5the sign that has just been brought into view. The apparatus alsocomprises a restoring motor controlled by an eleetro-magnet and itsarmature, by which any sign that may have been displayed is restored toits concealed po 0 sition. Thus the station -master as soon as warned ofthe approach of a train can cause the proper sign to be dropped and theaudible signal to be sounded, so as to give due notification of thedestination of the train and the 5 stations at which the train stops,and after the train has departed the restoring-motor can be operated toremove the sign from view, so that the proper sign can be displayed whenthe next train arrives, all of which operations 0 can be controlled by aperson at a distance from the indicator by means of the electriccircuits.

Figure l is a front elevation of a train-indicator embodying thisinvention, a portion of the front plate being broken away to show theoperative parts; Fig. 2, a vertical section thereof.

The apparatus comprisesa case or frame, a, the front of the lowerportion, a, of which is left open or is covered by clear glass through(No model.)

which the signs can be seen. The upper front portion, a is opaque, so asto conceah the signs when in the upper part of the case, and the saidopaque portion may have marked upon it words thatconstitute a permanentsign explanatory in part of all the signssuch, for instance, as thewords Next Train for. The side portions of the frame are provided with anumber of guides, 12, in which the different signs 0 are verticallymovable from the upper or concealed position to the lower position, inwhich they can be seen through the lower open portion, a, of the frame.The said signs 0 may be made of paper-board bound with metal to preventwarping, or of other suitable material, and may, if necessary, bepartially counterbalanced, but willin all cases move by the action ofgravity in one or the other direction, being retained in concealedposition by means of catches c co-operating with movable catches d, eachoperated by the armature e of an electro-magnet, f, there being one suchmagnet corresponding to each sign, and the said magnets being inseparate circuits, as shown, so that each may be operated independentlyof the others, to permit the corresponding sign to drop into view. Forexample, the battery B may have one terminal connected with the switch 9and its other terminal connected with 8c a conductor, 2, passing throughthe magnet of a signal-instrument, S, which may bea vibrating bell ofusual construction, and then passing by separate branches to oneterminal of each of the magnets e, the other terminals of which areconnected by separate wires 3 4 5 with contacts that cooperate with theswitch Thus by placing the switch on any given contact the correspondingmagnet f is energized and the corresponding sign 0 permitted to fallinto view, said sign having marked upon it the names of all the stationsat which the next train will stop, and the signalmagnet S will be set inoperation to call attention to the sign.

The operation of the signaiS may be stopped by opening the circuit atthe switch 9, but the sign will still remain displayed. After the trainhas departed the sign may again be concealed or restored to its normalposition by too the following devices: A sliding rack-bar, h, isprovided at its lower end with a finger, h, which extends across thepositions that can be occupied by any of the signs in the guides b. Atoothed wheel, i, having a blank portion, as shown, forms a part ofatrain of wheelwork, which may be actuated by a weight, 70, or spring,and is provided with a stop projection, i, normally engaged byastopprojection on an arm, on, on a rock-shaft, n, having another arm, 11,provided with an armature, 0, and magnet o. The said magnet may be in abranch, 6 7, from the battery-wire 2, which branch may be controlled bya key or switch, 10, the momentary closure of which will cause themagnet 0 to be energized, and thus release the wheel '5 of the motor.The said wheel will then be caused to make one rotation by the actuatingweight or spring of the motor, in which rotation its toothed portionwill engage with the teeth of the rack h, raising the same, and with itany one of the signs which may then be down, carrying the catch ofthesaid sign 0 into engagement with its cooperating catch (1, by whichit is held in its concealed position until it is again released by itsmagnet f. As soon as the blank portion of the wheel '5 arrives at theteeth of the rack h, the latter will be released by the said wheel andbrought back to its original or normal position ready to restore anothersign at the next operation of the motor.

The apparatus can be made to accommodate any desired number of signs,and is conveniently operated by the train-master as soon as he receivesnotice of the approach of the train.

I claim 1. A trainindicating apparatus comprising a case or frame havinga portion of its front open for vision, a number ofindependent signsarranged one behind another and each movable into and away from the openportion of the frame, and an electro-magnet co-operating with each ofsaid signs, substantially as described.

2. A train-indicating apparatus comprising a case or frame having aportion of its front open for vision, a number of independent signsarranged one behind another and each movable into and away from the openportion of the frame, and an electro-magnet co-operating with each ofsaid signs, and a restoring-motor cooperating with all of the severalsigns, by which the latter are moved back into control of the magnet,substantially as described.

3. The combination of the case or frame having a portion of its frontopaque and provided with a permanent sign, and another portion of*itsfront open to vision, combined with a number of independent signscontained in said case, arranged one behind another, and movable fromthe position behind the opaque to a position behind the open portion ofsaid ease, and an electromagnet and its armature co-operating with eachof said movable signs, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a number of movable signs with a restoring-motorcomprising an actuating-train, provided with a stop, and anelectro-magnet controlling said stop, a slidebar engaged and operated bysaid motor, provided with a projection that traverses the path of thesaid signs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofl have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN E. WATERS.

\Vitnesses:

J 0s. P. LIVERMORE, JAS. J. lVIALONEY.

